


(In)Dependent

by AnimusReach



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Brain Damage, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other, yet also
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7197314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimusReach/pseuds/AnimusReach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The few remaining Shoreline mercs that Rafe had paid for managed to recover his body. More surprising, they managed to resuscitate him and get him to a hospital a while away. When you found out, you of course made your way to him. Things seemed okay… for a while. He needed your help more than he ever had before. But he was still Rafe, and he was still yours. All it takes is a little readjusting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Treasures, Recovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rafe is returned from the brink of death, however damaged, and you're just happy he's alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter features the song Depend On Me by Bryan Adams. I recommend listening to it!)

You had been horrified when you'd learned the gist of what had happened in that cave under the mountain. The moment you knew what hospital room Rafe was in, you planted yourself in it, right beside his bed, barely leaving. He was badly beat up, and the doctors seemed hesitant to say he would be fine. It took him 2 days to wake up, and several hours to properly regain responsive consciousness. It was 2 in the morning. His first words were slurred, confused, and while you worried over him, just hearing his voice again was endearing, “(Y/N)? What... are you doing here?” After which he blinked and promptly added, “… What am I doing here?” You would have answered, but he was already beginning to fall asleep again.

You awoke at 8 in the morning that day, essentially camping in his hospital room, and you noticed he was awake, blankly staring at the ceiling. “… Rafe,” you tested, reaching over to pat his hand gently.

Slowly, his gaze turned to you, and your stomach flipped when he spoke, his voice familiar again. “This is a hospital, isn't it?” You nodded gently and squeezed his hand, and he sighed, wincing slightly. “Stuck in a hospital… what happened?”

Frowning, you immediately responded to his confusion, “Rafe, hun... you almost died. Do you remember anything?”

“I remember… I remember heading to Avery's ship. I remember… I was there, (Y/N). I was right. There. And then those _goddamn_ ,” he started, clenching his uninjured hand and inadvertently squeezing yours, “Drakes and their _stupid_ fucking-” he cut off with a sharp pained hiss. He had moved too much and bumped his other arm, currently wrapped in a cast, against the bed rail. Sighing, you reached up and stroked his cheek, which he appeared to be too frustrated to react to. That was how he tended to get when he was angry. Either loud and threatening, or silent and brooding and hateful.

“Honey… I know you're angry. You worked extremely hard to get there, and now you're stuck in here. You have every right to be upset. But I think it's more important right now that you just focus on getting better. The treasure, the Drake brothers, _you being a functional, uninjured being_ ,” you emphasized the final part, “can all wait. Alright?” You watched as he slowly exhaled through his nose, not making eye contact with you, before closing his eyes. You stroked his cheek gently again, smiling as you knew you had won, and murmured softly, hoping to distract him. “You know, there is a plus to you being in here. It's very small, but the little things stack up. You can't shave. So you're kinda stubbly right now. I love it,” you hummed, and the tiniest of smirks tugged at the corners of his lips for a moment despite himself.

\---~:~---

#### 4 Days Later

He was restless. Honestly, so were you. Worse yet, he seemed to be… declining, was the word you would use. He had seemed okay the first day, besides some short-term memory issues which, after the ordeal he went through, was blessedly minor, but things were getting worse. Sometimes he would pause as he spoke, his brows furrowing more and more the longer it took, and just the day before he had blurted out, clearly distressed, “Why the _hell_ can't I think?!” You brought it up to one of his doctors, and they had agreed to run tests on him. You could only hope and pray that their testing didn't show anything too bad, but you could feel in your gut that something was wrong.

In the meantime, you offered him a spoonful of applesauce, which, grumbling, he took anyway. “I can feed myself, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you prepared another spoonful before holding it out for him, which he reluctantly ate. “Of course you can,” you sighed gently, knowing full well that would be very difficult with a broken arm and busted hand. “I just like pampering you until you're better.” You did, too. He was asleep most of the time, heavily sedated by various pain medications, so when he was awake, you wanted those few waking hours to be as peaceful and easy on him as possible. He was only allowed soft foods at the moment, so everything could be spoon-fed, which he hated. Some parts of his digestive system had been injured by blunt force and were still on the mend.

After a few more spoonfuls and a sip of water, he yawned wearily and leaned back in his bed. “What was that they used? I'm...” he paused, eyes shut. “… Asleep? No, that's not the- tired. That's it.” He waved his good hand dismissively, relaxing again.

“Rest up. I'll be here.”

\---~:~---

#### 2 Days Later

“ _He is showing signs of moderate brain damage_ ” was not what you had wanted to hear that afternoon, or any afternoon, or any time of any day, for that matter, but there it was. _Moderate brain damage. What does that even mean_ , you wondered. You were sat down at his bedside, as usual, having just spoken with his doctor. Rafe, himself, was fast asleep, also as usual. Despite the mess of news and well-meaning information and advice you had received outside in the hallway, away from prying eyes and ears, all you wanted to do right now was watch him sleep. You took his hand, rubbing small circles and designs on his skin with your thumb. _Moderate brain damage. God, I wish I could sleep all this off as well as he seems to be able to._

\---~:~---

#### Several Hours Later

You weren't looking at him as you spoke. The look he'd been giving you after you had said the words “brain” and “damage” was sharp and painful, and so you avoided his eyes, listing what the doctor had told you. “He said they'll keep testing as you recover, because some of your problems may be from your other injuries… Also, he mentioned something about aphasia? Anoxic aphasia, I think he called it, from being underwater for too long… It just means uh, your brain didn't have access to any oxygen… So your brain cells… started dying. Now you're having trouble… accessing words correctly. You're still just as smart as before, your brain just... has to work harder for things...” Honestly, you were afraid to even glance up at him, but you did, nervously, and the look on his face surprised and disarmed you. His expression had changed drastically as you'd been talking, and he almost didn't look like him. He looked… afraid. His face was mostly stoic, but his eyes were so scared, and it broke your heart. Swallowing thickly, you reached over and stroked his cheek, holding back your tears, at least for his sake. “It's okay, sweetheart. It'll be okay. We'll work this out, alright? Together. You and me.”

Slowly, haltingly, Rafe reached up, wrapping his uninjured arm around you and burying his face against you. You had never seem him like this. He was genuinely worried. Sighing, you massaged his back and shoulders, wondering how in the world you both were going to deal with this.

There was so much to do.

\---~:~---

#### 3 Months Later

Life had changed, to say the least. You and Rafe were back home, thoughts of pirates and shiny things abandoned to the winds. Now, your days were filled with various forms of therapy sessions, speech, physical, behavioral. He despised it and the only reason he went along with it was because underneath his cold, uncaring exterior, he had a weakness for your puppy eyes. Not that his exterior was very cold or uncaring anymore. He was mostly quiet and wrapped in his own little world now, and whenever a letter of condolence would arrive from some distant rich criminal family he was just as bored by as you, he would sit the letter in what you both had named “the pile”.

Rafe hated to be helped. He had always been so dominant and independent, and now he had no choice but to rely on you and your help with many things. He needed your help fixing his hair. He needed your help while eating. He needed you to help him get around. He refused to get a cane, even though it would have greatly helped his wobbliness. Rafe Adler, apparently, does not use a cane. It may have been a bit frustrating, but you could understand. That's a big leap to make for a previously proud, over-confident, endlessly irritable stubborn rich guy.

That day had been rough. Rafe's physical therapy session had been grueling and uncomfortable, and he was sore and grumpy. You were playing with his hair as the two of you sat in the living room, the television mumbling softly in the background. “Rafe?”

“Hmm?” His gaze lagged behind his response, eyes landing on you a few seconds later.

“… What would you say, if I asked for a dance?”

“(Y/N),” he warned, eying you.

“Please? Look, it would be more fun than your physical therapy, and I miss dancing with you,” you sighed softly, watching him with curious, pleading puppy eyes. You even poked your bottom lip out the smallest bit.

A long moment passed before Rafe leaned forward, nipping at your bottom lip and kissing you softly. You moaned briefly in pleased surprise, and he replied with a soft, rumbling chuckle. “You're in charge of the music,” he stated simply, and your eyes lit up. Hurriedly, you kissed him back, snuggling against him shortly before reluctantly breaking apart from him and hopping up to get some music playing.

It didn't take long before you both were up on your feet, music playing from the surround sound system the two of you had gotten set up shortly before Rafe had gotten Sam out of prison. He leaned into you, his face buried against your neck. The two of you simply swayed as a few relaxed songs played through. Soon, however, a more upbeat song started up, and you grinned, singing along as it began to play, “ _ **When you're losin' direction, baby you can depend on me**_ ,” you started.

Your irascible significant other's face immediately scrunched up, though his voice was lightly playful, “Oh no, you're singing.”

“Oh, hush,” you responded quietly, singing along as the two of you danced.

“ _ **Like sister to brother, father to mother**_  
_**We live for each other, we're lover to lover**_  
_**As deep as an ocean, filled with emotion**_  
_**I'm forever open, can't you see**_  
_**Baby you can depend on me”**_

You both began to move just a bit more together, neither of your minds on shaky steps, but on each other, for the moment.

“ _ **For someone to rely on and a shoulder to cry on**_  
_**You can depend on me**_  
_**If you're in need of some kindness**_  
_**And you can't seem to find it**_  
_**You can depend on me**_  
_**Well there ain't no need to worry you know we'll get along**_  
_**Those dark clouds may surround you**_  
_**But together we'll be strong”**_

Growing more comfortable, Rafe gently outstretched his unbroken arm, spinning you a bit, and you laughed shyly as you both came back together, resting your head against his chest. You couldn't help but grow more animated as the bridge began to play.

“ _ **When hope is gone and all is lost**_  
_**Just reach out, take my hand**_  
_**I'll be there, I'll be your man,”**_ you sang, and in the spur of the moment, you dipped Rafe down, leaning over him dramatically. His eyes grew so wide you immediately started laughing, and at first you thought he'd get upset, as usual, but once you helped him upright again, his confused frown slowly became a small smile, which changed to soft chuckles at your continued giggling.

'Alright, you had your fun. I think it's time to calm down now. I'd rather not risk anymore dipping and have you drop me,” he murmured, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head at you.

“Aww...” Pouting a bit, you walked over and turned off the speakers, a smirk growing on your face as you felt Rafe's arms encircle your waist.

He rested his head against yours, his lips dangerously close to your ear. “ _I_ dip _you_ , you understand?”

Your smirk only grew at his quiet comment, “Normally, I would agree, but one of your arms is still in a cast, and you didn't take the initiative. Someone had to.” You sucked in a sharp breath as he nipped at your neck and suddenly tickled your sides. “Okay! No more dipping from me, I'll be good!” You squirmed away from him, shooting a playful frown back at the man as he laughed at you.

\---~:~---

#### 3 More Months Later

It was a chilly day, and the two of you had been up the night before, discussing whether or not you should go to the stuffy gala that was coming up in a few weeks. It would be the first one since the incident on Avery's ship, and neither of you were particularly excited to meet with the 'public' yet.

As you stretched out on the couch, Rafe made his way over, ever so slightly off-balance, as was the norm now, but with a surprisingly large grin on his face. “Uh oh. You're smiling. Should I be concerned?” You teased him gently with a smile of your own, and he sat down at the end of the couch, pulling your feet into his lap.

“We,” he started, “should go to that-” he trailed off, and you remained quiet, letting him gather his words. Oftentimes he got snappy when interrupted. Hell, he got snappy often about everything. Thankfully (or not), not much had changed on that front. “… The uh, dance, ball, thing,” he finally finished, and you raised an eyebrow.

“You really want to? What happened?” Sitting up, you actually inspected him, and you finally noticed he was holding a coin in his hand. “What is that?” At your question, Rafe held out his palm, and you were amazed to realize the coin had Avery's sigil on it.

“I didn't buy up those mercenaries for no reason. While we were… um…” he tapped his fingers, thinking, “Goddamn it, you know what I'm saying, while that was happening, they were collecting as much of that treasure as they could. A few of them delivered an entire chest-full earlier. They're certainly making sure they get paid.”

Your eyes lit up as he spoke. You had only woken up 2 hours ago, they must have delivered it while you were asleep! “Holy shit, babe, that's awesome! Where is it,” you questioned, and the man patted your leg, rose, and beckoned for you to follow, leading you into his study, and straight up to a chest of shiny gold and pretty trinkets. It was sitting in a large plastic bin, still damp and leaky. “… Hooollyyy shit,” you repeated.

“I'm not going to miss the looks on their faces,” he spoke behind you, slipping his arms around your waist. “I would still go, even in a wheelchair.”

“Mmh... you get to flaunt Avery's treasure, and I get to flaunt you and how amazingly you're recovering. Sounds good to me,” you murmured lovingly, leaning up and kissing his cheek. “Well, we better make sure you don't have any therapy sessions that day, huh?”

“I would still go, in a wheelchair, with a therapy session that day,” he tacked on pointedly, his voice indignant, and you couldn't help but smile.

_Yep. Still my Rafe. Still love him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was based on a tumblr post I had made in which I realized if there had been any way Rafe would have survived, no matter what he would have ended up with at least mild brain damage. A few people seemed to want a story about it (including me) and here it is.
> 
> I've written characters who have gotten brain damage before, thankfully this was less detailed and didn't include epilepsy. I try to write as true and tactful to the situation as possible.
> 
> Due to request (and my agreement because I had been considering it anyway), (In)Dependent will be more than just a oneshot!


	2. Of Fancy, Shiny, Pretty Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a day of bragging - and one of the most pleasant days you've both had since Rafe's accident - ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I TOLD Y'ALL I'D WRITE IT!
> 
> I know, I know. It took ages. I just didn't have a proper idea of how to go about it until I got back into it and read what I'd already had done. No more talkin'. Let's do this.

In the weeks it had taken for the grand charity ball you both had been tensely preparing for to arrive, you had finally managed to convince Rafe to get a cane. "Raaaafe," you insisted, "You can get a fancy one. Canes can be fancy, you'll look even more handsome." After a bit of patient cajoling with plenty of flattery sprinkled in, he caved. Of course he got one of the flashiest ones he could possibly have gotten. The handle was a swirl of black and a pearly golden color, and you marveled at it for a long few moments. "Whoa."

Smirking lightly, he nodded, walking around with it a bit, testing it. "Mhmm. If I'm going to be using it often, I may as well make it interesting."

\---~:~---

  
**2 Days Later**

It was time. You didn't really feel prepared, but Rafe was too excited about being able to brag for you to back out. He had bought you the most impressive outfit for this particular event, anyway, and you liked wearing it, so that helped.

He was bringing along two of the coins from the treasure hoard - only two. Didn't want anyone getting too touchy-feely with them.

When you both finally arrived, he sucked in a deep breath, moving to carefully climb from the limo as his driver opened the doors for you both. He struggled for a moment to get out, blatantly ignoring the driver's hand when he offered it. You watched him patiently, and he finally stumbled out, steadying himself with his cane and a grumble, before offering his hand to you. "Come on, then," Rafe huffed.

"Thank you, honey," you replied soothingly, stepping out into the open air and squeezing his hand. "... And here we are."

Putting on his usual cocky air and fake smile, he linked arms with you and headed toward the entrance of the building, letting you handle showing your invitations. Once that was handled and out of the way, he whisked you inside, using both you and his cane to keep his gait steadier. A few people among those who had already arrived looked up, raising eyebrows at your entrance. You put on your own pleasant smile, flashing Rafe a calming glance.

"Seems we've attracted attention," You tease, leaning in closer to him.

"Are you really surprised?" Leading you both straight for the drinks, he gave a casual shrug. "We're the best looking..." he paused on the word a moment, his eyes narrowing, "... partners? Sure, that works, in this building," he finished. "Actually, out of all the various business and non-business partners I've had, you're the only one I fully trust. You're not..." he paused again, "... finicky. You're also quite skilled and intelligent and I wouldn't settle for less."

You raised an eyebrow at him as he got you both drinks. "Well, I'm glad I've managed to meet your expectations," you hum, chuckling as he offered you a glass.

You couldn't help slowly tilting your head to look behind him as you took a sip, eyeing a couple walking straight toward you. Glancing back at Rafe, you mouthed at him. "Company, don't look." He squinted at you a moment, then his eyes widened and he gave you the slightest nod.

You both glanced over when they came up and began to get their own refreshments. "Mr. Adler, it's so good to see you! Even Mx. (Y/L/N) too!"

Rafe gave them a cordial smile, "Rafe, please. Leave 'Mr. Adler' to my father."

"And (Y/N), too," you added, "It sounds... stuffy, otherwise." You chuckled gently as they both nodded.

"Our apologies. We'd sent you a letter, but we worried things had turned for the worst when we'd gotten no reply. It's wonderful to see otherwise!" The man flashed you both a pleasant smile, and the woman beside him nodded, "I'm so glad to see you both are doing well. That cane, may I add, is quite the sight!"

You nudged him the tiniest bit, in a loving "told you so" fashion, and he bit back a smirk, nodding. "Only the best, of course. I have a feeling we may have more money than we'll know what to do with, soon enough, anyway. Maybe I'll pour in more money to a few charities with the excess money we make," he spoke slyly, slipping one of the coins from his pocket. You'd listened in on him back at home, practicing the speech repeatedly to make sure he didn't stumble on too many words. You thought it was adorable, but you hadn't told him.

Both of their eyes settled on the coin, and you piped up before Rafe could continue. "Have either of you heard of Henry Avery? He was a pirate who pulled off the greatest heist of the time, _and_ got away with it. Well... Rafe here," you took the moment to slip your arm around his, "Found it himself. That's how.. the accident happened, but he got it. All of it!"

He glanced at you with a prideful grin, then looked back at the dumbfounded couple before you. "The contents of The Gunsway Heist is tucked up in my..." You glanced up at him as he paused, and he furrowed his brows.

You continued for him, as he'd given you permission to, solely for any future events you both would attend in the future, "Kept nice and secure in the entirety of a bank vault."

Giving a quiet, relieved sigh at your intervention, he returned to his casual cordiality. "Precisely. You can look at the two coins I brought, if you'd like." he pulled out the second one, letting them both take one, and you watched on in pleased amusement as both of them flipped the coins around in their fingers in subdued awe.

"That... is quite the accomplishment." the man finally commented, looking back up at Rafe and handing the coin back. His wife returned the second one, and Rafe nodded, "It was a difficult time finding it. Took 15 years and a very costly incident that nearly took my life, but that only makes me more pleased with getting it. It was entirely worth it."

\---~:~---

You and Rafe spent much of the social aspect of the event bragging. You'd never admit to him, but you enjoyed it too. He had gone through hell and back trying to get it, and you had gone through hell and back allowing him to be so distant, often times literally as well, while looking for it, then spending so much of your time worrying about him after the accident. Now that everything had settled again, you were quite proud of his impressive achievement as well.

However, there was one part of the event that you hadn't expected him to willingly participate in - dancing. That had caught you by surprise. "Well then, would you care for a dance?" His voice was seductive as he set his cane against the table you both had been sitting at.

"Ohoho, why yes, I would." You gave him a surprised smirk as you rose from your chair, taking his hand. You hadn't expected this, as he'd seemed hesitant to allow anyone but you, his doctors, therapists, and butler to see the extent of the damage that had been done. However, he seemed completely at ease as he led you to the dance floor, unsteadiness be damned. You rested against his chest as the two of you swayed to the music quietly, listening to his heartbeat. He hummed gently, all the more soothing with your ear so close to him, the thrum of his heart and the warm, steady tones of his humming quite soothing. You could tell there were, once again, quite a few eyes on the both of you, but the two of you were too content in each other's arms to care.

The both of you spun and swayed gently to the music, you giggling affectionately whenever he missed a step, which resulted in a quiet grunt of discontentment, without fail. He didn't mind your chuckles, though, as they loosed him up, occasionally resulting in a quiet chuckle of his own. Your own loving amusement kept him from getting too wrapped up in his stutters and stumbles as he continued to adjust to his affected abilities, and you were more than happy to help him learn to cope with them. Laughing it off was nicer than grumbling about it, for the both of you.

A disappointed whine escaped you when he slowed down and gently began to pull away, and he flashed you one of his charming grins that still to this day made your heart skip. "We can't dance forever, (Y/N), however nice it is."

Laughing softly, you followed him back to your table to collect his cane. "Well... I mean, we could try."

\---~:~---

  
**A Few Hours Later**

You had returned home just a few minutes ago, and Rafe seemed eager to get out of his suit and back into some looser clothing. He wandered off into the house, and you hummed gently as his butler greeted you both, questioning if either of you needed anything. "We're alright, Linus! Thank you." He nodded, giving you a gentle smile and returning to what he'd been doing as you yourself took off your shoes, stretching and wiggling your toes against the carpet. "Mmph. Home."

Honestly, you'd be content plopping down and not moving for the rest of the day, unless it meant getting food, bathroom breaks, or helping Rafe with something, but just as you came to the conclusion that you really didn't want to ruin the outfit Rafe had gotten you, his voice sounded from the bedroom, clearly disgruntled. "(Y/N)! Urgh... Shit... I'm- Uh, I'm stuck." Biting your lip with a sympathetic chuckle, you hurried off to the bedroom to help him.

  
When you stepped into the room, his suit jacket was halfway off, stuck on both of his arms and putting him in an awkward, definitely uncomfortable position. "Oh, sweetheart. Alright, give me a second." Slowly, you untangled him, helping him pull it off the rest of the way, pecking his nose gently afterward. "There. You need help with the rest?"

Pursing his lips with a clearly frustrated, but equally resigned expression, he huffed. "Probably."

You rubbed his shoulder lovingly, taking off your own outfit as you watched him to make sure he didn't need your help. You'd gotten down all the way to your underwear before he wobbled and plopped onto the bed face-first as he lost his balance trying to take his pants off. A sharp burst of laughter escaped you before you could stifle it to help him back up, and you covered your mouth as you quieted to stifled snorts and giggles. Rolling onto his side, he gave you a pointed look. You couldn't stop the giggles, however much you tried, though, but you stepped over to tug off his pants the rest of the way so you could put both of your clothes in the closet. "I'm sorry babe, that was funny," you offered in apology.

You really did begin to feel bad as you began hanging up the clothes, lowering your head as you turned around. "Rafe? I'm sorry honey, I didn't m-"

Rafe was now sitting on the bed with a calm, amiable look on his face, his eyes glinting. "... I would have laughed at you too."

You bit your lip for a moment before the both of you started laughing, shaking your head as you stepped back over to the bed and snuggled into the blankets, Rafe close behind. "You made me feel bad, you asshole."

He didn't respond to your playful insult, kissing you gently before pulling you against him. "Shhh. There's only so much time until dinner. We need to use this wisely."

Said time was spent snuggled comfortably in his very large, very soft bed. You loved that bed. It had seen _quite_ a lot of things in the time you two had been together.

... You loved Rafe more. Though the bed was a close second. Avery's treasure, you figured, was about third.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fancy cane in question: http://www.fashionablecanes.com/80193.html
> 
> Also, their butler's name is Linus Delgato. Part of the reason he attracted Rafe's attention is because of his last name. It doesn't mean anything special to him, it just sounds cool, but he'd never admit that. :^)


	3. Some Semblance of Normality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a cure for boredom is hatched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooooooo I didn't have any idea where to go with this but I'm likin' it.

It had been two weeks since the gala, and Rafe was pacing around his study, mumbling on his phone to what you could only assume was a business contact or something. You, meanwhile, were settled on the couch watching TV with a small bowl of M&Ms at your beck and call. You casually popped a few into your mouth, lounging back against the soft cushions, and shortly after Rafe stomped out of his study, the expression on his face all-too-familiar. Pursing your lips, you stepped over to him as he began putting on his clothes, rubbing his shoulders and back. "What happened?"

"One of the... _larger_  investors," he emphasized, "is considering pulling their money out, simply because I've been 'otherwise occupied'," he snapped, mocking their voice irritably. "I have a meeting to get to at 10:30 to discuss how things have been going while I've been recovering, making sure nothing's dipped in my..." trailing off, he quieted for a few moments before grunting angrily, "I don't even CARE what the right word is!" He stepped away from your massaging, stumbling with a snarl, and pulled his jacket on, making sure he'd be warm in the cold air. At least he had started to improve with taking off and putting on his clothing, though he still wasn't perfect, and may not ever be.

Eyes softening, you stepped back to give him a bit of space to cool down. You couldn't help but worry though, watching as he grabbed at his cane. "Are you sure you're ready to start all this again? You can still do most of what you need on your compu-"

He cut you off, but his voice was, thankfully, calmer. "I can't just lounge around all day forever, (Y/N). I've been cooped up in millions of therapy sessions for millions of different things," he huffed, "and I'm pretty sure I can _hold a spoon_  well enough now that I'll survive." His voice had gotten low and dangerous-sounding as he spoke, seemingly mocking both the importance of his various therapy sessions, and even himself in a gesture of surprising, and saddening, self-hatred. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm going." And with that, he stepped toward the door and promptly left, though you winced as he slammed it shut.

Sighing weakly, you shook your head, dragging a hand through your hair and heading back to the couch. You eyed the M&Ms for a moment before grabbing a few more and plopping back down. After dealing with his angry outbursts so many times, it was nice, if you wanted to put it that way, that he was at least acting somewhat more normal. _He's still stubborn and persistent, I'll give him that._

\---~:~---

**An Hour Later**

"I'll be late for lunch. Save it for me."

You inspected the text shortly after you'd gotten the notification, sending him back a confirmation. "Got it. Hope everything is going well. Love you~". You had been doing your own work while he was gone, busying yourself with some cleaning and maintenance around the house, chuckling every time Linus wandered past with a curious expression. He'd been doing (and helping the housekeeper with) so much for the last _half a year_  or so that both of you busying yourselves with mundane things again seemed to throw him off. You were glad to be busy with something useful though, and the poor man deserved a little break. A soft vibration and chime came from your pocket, and you sat up from fixing one of the loosened screws on the sink cabinet in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry."

Eyes softening, you swallowed thickly. An apology. That was different. There it was though, your phone's screen glowing it up at you, directly from him. A sad smile settled on your face as you typed your reply. "It's alright. I know you're stressed. I can't blame you." Your thumb hovered over the button to send it, then you tacked on, "It has been boring just sitting around, hasn't it? Maybe we can go out somewhere, just us. A nice break from being stuck in the house so much. What do you think?" Tapping send, you returned to fiddling with the cabinet door.

"Where would you prefer to go?"

Rafe's texts were a pleasant distraction from the obnoxious screw that didn't seem to intend to cooperate with you. "Anywhere. Where do you want to take us?"

"Somewhere distant? I'm getting tired of seeing the same things day in and day out."

You smiled at the thought, quickly typing out your ideas on where to go. "Hmm. Maybe we can go to Hawaii? I've never been, but it sounds nice. Germany? Because why not. Japan? Maybe just, I don't know, Florida."

You could almost hear him laughing, as well as the sarcasm that would be in his voice, when you saw his next text. "FLORIDA. Of course. We'll go to Florida."

You couldn't help but giggle softly to yourself, gradually beginning to forget you even had a cabinet to fix in the first place. "Hey! Disney World is a legitimate reason to pick Florida." His next text took a few minutes to come, and you were finally getting the stubborn screw tightened when your phone chimed again. You fixed up the screw first, then checked it.

"Hawaii. Does that sound good?"

"Hawaii. Sounds good."

\---~:~---

**2 Hours Later**

Rafe finally returned home, stepping inside the house to see you stretched out on the couch with a few Jolly Ranchers. "What is it with you and candy," he sighed, less a question than resigned commentary. A chuckle escaped you, and once Linus had helped him remove his jacket, he came over, sitting down once you made room for him. Sighing, he stretched out his legs, removing his shoes slowly.

Thinking for a moment, you finally spoke. "Did the meeting go well?"

"Yes, actually," he nodded, leaning back and slinging an arm around you. "Things are going well, and everything is..." He trailed off, though he didn't seem like he was searching for words. "... Stable. Did you save lunch like I asked? I didn't eat," he finally finishes, leaning toward you. You were happy to see he was in a better mood than when he'd left, and you sighed contently as he cupped your cheek, kissing you gently, before reluctantly breaking the kiss and standing back up. "First things first, though; get out of this suit."

"I dunnooooo," you tease, "I like the view." He scoffed at you lightly, though the annoyance was only mocking, and made his way to the bedroom with the sound of your laughter following him. "I looove you," you called playfully.

It took a few moments before you heard his voice again, "... I _doubt_  quite as much as I love you, but I guess I'll let that slide." The only response he heard was another moment of your laughter, and he couldn't help but smile softly at that as he managed to switch into comfier clothes.

You had saved both of your plates, so you could eat together. It was a peaceful meal, even in between helping Rafe with his food here and there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even planning specific things they're just happening and I'm going with 'em.


End file.
